a trip to my backyard (Pierre Shale, Colorado)

[IonRocks]

Haven't been out to hunt much yet, but I am planning to go out this weekend. So far I know of four general animals found on my property from the Pierre shale (baculites, gastropods, muscles, and brachiopods or bivalves) 

I have also found some small chunks of petrified wood laying around.

 

but i was wondering if anyone had advice for hunting the sandstone? I am aware of layers that have well preserved fossils here, but I haven't found a very good way of exposing them.

[jpc]

Where is Cobb Lake?  I find most good fossils in the Pierre Shale come form concretions which are generally found in the gray shale layers as either broken up harder rocks or simply round harder rocks.  Having said that, the famous huge ammonite site near Kremmling has concretions in the sandstone as well.  This is where the monsters come out of.  

[IonRocks]

North East of Fort Collins south of Wellington

its a little known (yet rather large) private lake in an agricultural area.

 

I've found that the harder the sandstones is to break, the nicer the fossils are. 

Out here I have access to both bedrock and eroded loose rock. (Plus the random petrified wood just sitting on the ground)

 

These are some things I found in a rock pile (from when our house was built) with the two larger fossils pre exposed. The one still in the rock I am unsure of what it is, but I am sure that it is the most complete thing I have haha

 

[IonRocks]

Well I am out at the rock pile again. 

Heres what pile A looked like, this section has a very high number of tube like fossils (I believe they are burrows) 

but so far only one shell fossil has come out of here

 

Whats nice about this pile is that it is near enough to home to have wireless access

[IonRocks]

Another perk is the view

[IonRocks]

These are two fossils I found so far today. Neither are of amazing quality, but fossils nonetheless. 

The larger one is why I like to call my area "eggshell creek"

 

if if anyone has an idea on prepping it out a bit I'm open to suggestions

[IonRocks]

The most complete shell yet! 

I've worked pile A down to the bedrock (only a few more inches than before, but now much less weathered and damaged) 

 

As I was trying to remove a layer of the rock, my hammer ran straight into this guy. I'm very lucky to have noticed, and i quickly gathered the sand/debris to find these five little pieces. 

I also have an image of the spot these shell came from, but the angle I had to take it at doesn't do much good. Still working out where that last part goes.

What is odd about this shell, is that it was found adjacent to most other shells, putting it on the side of the rock.